I was a little young to watch The Dukes of Hazzard when it first aired, but I that didn't stop me from becoming obsessed with the Duke Boys. Shirtless magazine shots of John Schneider and Tom Wopat stimulated more than a few visual fantasy's and I later caught a few episodes when repeats aired in the late 90's on TNN, the old Nashville Network. Even as a kid, it was clear the Duke boys were promoted as sex objects, something sort of unique on television at the time. I am not sure the network was trying to attract a gay young following, but I am sure they made up a fair share of the shows audience.
I don't think I ever saw an episode with Byron Cherry, but he still made an impression. Byron, and actor Christopher Mayer, (who sadly died in 2011) took over briefly for 19 episodes when Schneider and Wopat left the show over a contract dispute of merchandising. Cherry and John Schneider were friends who both originally tried out for the role of Bo. The producers must have remembered Cherry when they needed to find a hot blonde replacement to play cousin Coy.
Cherry epitomizes the perfect southern blonde farm boy and it's too bad the show decided to forget his character when the original stars returned. Cherry continued to work on television and in movies and has a couple of projects due for the release in the next year. Cherry also seems to have kept his time as a Duke alive appearing at many celebrity autograph shows sharing his time, and stories from Hazzard. You can check out some recent shots of the actor at his website HERE:
There isn't any sound, but still a great video and shirtless tribute to all 4 of the Duke boys.
With Bruce Boxleitner on The Battle of the Network Stars
